With tension between India and Pakistan running high in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack that killed 40 CRPF jawans on February 14, people-to-people contact between the two countries has gone down over past 10 days.
The number of people crossing the Wagah-Attari border in Amritsar on foot, bus as well as train has not shown any big decline. But a closer analysis reveals the majority of people going to Pakistan are not Indians, but Pakistani citizens who are returning to their country.
With anti-Pakistan sentiments running high in India, the Pakistanis who had arrived earlier are scared to remain in the country in the current atmosphere. Similarly, Indians who were visiting Pakistan on pilgrimage or to meet relatives are coming back at the earliest possible opportunity.
In India, the general sentiment favours strong action against Pakistan and wants the government to take all possible measures to hurt the neighbouring country’s interests.
However, there are peaceniks who want the people-to-people contact to continue without getting affected by the current tension. People who have relatives living across the border are also disappointed.
Ramesh Yadav, president of Folklore Research Academy, an NGO working for harmonious India-Pakistan relations, said, “The people-to-people contact between both the countries has certainly been hit due to the present situation. A 120-member team led by a Bollywood filmmaker and a leading actress was to visit Pakistan in the coming days, but now they have cancelled their visit. A delegation from South Asia Partnership has cancelled its visit. A delegation of Progressive Writers’ Association was to go to Nankana Sahib and Karatprur Sahib in October this year for a seminar. They have, for now, put their programme on hold.”
Yadav said a five-member delegation of Folklore was also scheduled to visit Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi for a week next month, but the programme has been cancelled. “Nobody wants to go against the public sentiment as of now,” he added, expressing the hope that “things will become normal again” after some time. “More frequent people-to-people contacts would bring about a domino effect and the government will eventually follow the people,” said Yadav.
Jatin Desai, former general secretary of Pakistan India People’s Form of Peace and Democracy, said, “We were planning to hold a joint convention, but in the current scenario it is not possible. The people living on both sides of the border suffer the worst because they have cultural and social relations with each other and many families are divided.”
Mohd Nasir a businessman who attended his sister-in-law’s wedding in Lahore last month, said, “A couple of days later, a close relative died and we could not go again. A few years ago, my father-in-law died and my wife could not attend her father’s last rites. It hurts as we are cannot help each other at time
of crises in the family”.
In Kashmir, too, families divided by the Line of Control (LoC) feel that travel between the state and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) should not be held hostage to the tension.
“The cross-LoC bus service is the only Confidence Building Measure that allows members of divided families to meet occasionally,” said Riyaz Ahmad Malik of Anantnag, who has relatives living in PoK.
The cross-LoC bus service between Srinagar-Muzaffarabad in Kashmir and Poonch-Rawalakote in Jammu started in 2005 and enables hundreds of divided families on both side of LoC to meet each other. The bus plies every Monday.
“The bus service was started on humanitarian grounds for uniting divided families. It should not be linked to politics. It should not become hostage to the India-Pakistan tension. It is the only link between families on both sides,” said Riyaz.
For travelling on the bus, named ‘Caravan of Peace’, one has to apply for route permit from Regional Passport Officer after submitting all documents and address and contact numbers of one’s relatives in PoK.
Getting the route permit takes five-six months as the verification is done by police and other intelligence agencies, Riyaz said. A person can stay for a maximum of 28 days with their relatives on other side of LoC on a route permit. It is valid for a year and a person can travel thrice in a year on the permit.
Javaid Ahmad of Mendhar, Poonch, who has relatives in Kotli and Mirpur in PoK, said, “The cross-LoC bus service has allowed us to visit each other and remain in touch. We don’t have telecommunication facilities to other side.” Javaid said after the tension escalated, cross-LoC travel was suspended on February 18. “The bus service should be kept aloof of India-Pakistan politics.”
He said divided families have been demanding short stay permit of three-five days to visit in case of death or wedding of relatives on other side o. People in Poonch and Rajouri districts are also pressing for re-opening of the Tatta Pani Crossing Point with PoK in Poonch.